Download Powerpoint – Learning – Operant Conditioning

Introductory Psychology:
Learning
Learning is when you learn
something…?
AP PSYCHOLOGY: UNIT VI
Let’s Review: Classical Conditioning
 Joan, an animal trainer, has been afraid of
monkeys since an earlier attack; however, due to
money, she has agreed to work with monkeys for
an upcoming movie…
 Initially, being anywhere near the cages made
Joan tense, sweaty & very apprehensive…
 Lately, however, things have changed…
 Working with such cuddly & affectionate
creatures has caused Joan to wonder why she
ever felt such extreme distress in the first place…
Let’s Review: Classical Conditioning
 Early in their relationship, the mere sight of
Donna excited Jack…
 This gradually died out, as Donna began to
behave tolerantly, yet indifferently...
 By the time their relationship ended, Jack was
bored with Donna. When they broke up, he
didn’t think of her for an entire year…
 Now, Jack is surprised at how excited he is to see
Donna pass by on a bus….
Let’s Review: Classical Conditioning
 John’s sister had a bladder ailment when she was
a little girl. As a result, she had to visit the doctor
every 3 weeks for uncomfortable treatments…
 John’s sister developed a fear of doctors who
wore white coats because she associated their
presence with the discomfort of her treatments…
 One day John’s family went to eat at a restaurant
whose bus boys wore white jackets. John’s sister
was scared the minute she saw them…
Learning:
Operant Conditioning
PART ONE
What’s in it for me?
Learning: Operant Conditioning
 Operant Conditioning
 A type of learning in which the
frequency of a behavior
depends on the consequence
that follows the behavior; deals
with voluntary behaviors
Frequency increases if the
consequence is reinforcing
 Frequency decreases if the
consequence is not reinforcing

Behavior:
Screaming tantrum
Behavior: Give candy
Consequence:
Receiving a candy bar
Consequence:
Screaming tantrum ends
Result:
More tantrums in the
future
Result:
More candy buying in the
future
Learning: Operant Conditioning
 The Law of Effect (Edward
Thorndike)

Behaviors with favorable
consequences will occur more
frequently; behaviors with
unfavorable consequences
will occur less frequently


Hungry cats in puzzle boxes?
Provides the basis for learning
voluntary behaviors
The cat is placed in
the box with the
food reward
outside
Although learning
is NOT immediate,
the hungry cat
eventually learns
that pressing the
lever will result in
getting out of the
box and being able
to reach the food
Escape – GOOD!
Food – EVEN
BETTER!
Thorndike’s Puzzle Box
Learning: Operant Conditioning
 B.F. Skinner (1904-1990)
 The “Behaviorist’s Behaviorist”
 Developed the fundamental
principles & techniques of
operant conditioning


Voluntary behavior is what
people & animals do to operate
in the world
Coined the term “operant”
Learning: Operant Conditioning
 Designed the Skinner Box,
or operant chamber to
study operant conditioning


Has a lever/key that an animal
manipulates in order to obtain
a reinforcer like food or water
The lever/key is connected to
devices that record the animal’s
response
Skinner’s Pigeons…
During WWII, Skinner trained pigeons to guide
missiles to their targets; however, the military
didn’t buy into his ideas…
These animals were much more effective than humans at identifying
their targets…
Humans: 38% accuracy
Pigeons: 93% accuracy
Reinforcement
Learning: Operant Conditioning
 Reinforcement
 Any event or stimulus that, when following a
response, increases the probability that the response
will occur again
Primary Reinforcer
 Naturally reinforces by meeting a basic biological need
 Hunger, thirst, touch, etc.
 Secondary Reinforcer
 Becomes reinforcing when paired with a primary
reinforcer (in the past) or when we have learned to
value it
 Praise, gold stars, tokens, etc.

Learning: Operant Conditioning
 Positive Reinforcement
 The reinforcement of a response
by the addition or experiencing of
a pleasurable stimulus
The subject receives something
they want/desire
 Called an APPETITIVE
STIMULUS
 Increases the likelihood of
the behavior; strengthens
the behavior

Learning: Operant Conditioning
 Negative Reinforcement
 The reinforcement of a
response by the removal,
escape from, or avoidance of
an unpleasant stimulus
Something the subject doesn’t
like is removed
 Called an AVERSIVE STIMULUS
 Increases the likelihood of the behavior; strengthens the
behavior

Punishment
Learning: Operant Conditioning
 Punishment
 Any event or object that,
when following a response,
makes that response less
likely to happen again
The OPPOSITE of
reinforcement
 Decreases the likelihood of the behavior; weakens the
behavior

Learning: Operant Conditioning
 Punishment by
Application

The punishment of a
response by the addition
or experiencing of an
unpleasant stimulus
Also known as positive
punishment
 Examples
 Spanking, scolding, etc.

Learning: Operant Conditioning
 Punishment by
Removal

The punishment of a
response by the removal
of a pleasurable stimulus
Also known as negative
punishment or omission
training
 Examples
 “Grounding,” time-out, fining, etc.

Learning: Operant Conditioning
 Problems with punishment
 Severe punishment…
May cause the child to avoid
the punisher instead of the
behavior being punished
 May encourage lying
 Creates fear, anxiety, low
self-esteem and emotional responses that do not promote
learning
 Can lead to increased aggression
 Can lead to abuse

Learning: Operant Conditioning
 To make punishment more effective…
 Punishment should immediately follow the behavior
it is meant to punish
 Punishment should be consistent
Follow through with promises of punishment
 Same intensity or slight increase, but never decrease


Punishment of the wrong behavior should be paired,
whenever possible, with reinforcement of the right
behavior
Additional Concepts
Learning: Operant Conditioning
 Shaping
 A technique used to
establish a behavior
that otherwise probably
wouldn’t happen

Involves the reinforcement
of behaviors that are
increasingly similar to the
desired outcome
 Animal tricks
 Learning to ride a bike without training wheels
Learning: Operant Conditioning
 Stimulus Generalization
 “Dada” example
 Stimulus Discrimination
 Involves reinforcement
or the absence of
reinforcement in the
case of generalization
 Extinction
 Involves the removal of reinforcement
 Spontaneous Recovery
Schedules of Reinforcement
Learning: Operant Conditioning
 Schedules of Reinforcement
 The timing of reinforcement can make a HUGE
difference in the speed at which learning occurs
and the strength of the learned response…
 Skinner
found that reinforcing each & every response
was not necessarily the best schedule of
reinforcement for long-lasting learning…
Learning: Operant Conditioning
 Continuous Reinforcement
 The reinforcement of each & every correct response
Behavior is…
 Established very quickly
 Very likely to be extinguished once reinforcement
stops
 Examples
 Vending machines
 Dog training

Learning: Operant Conditioning
 Partial Reinforcement
 The reinforcement of some, but not all, correct
responses
Behavior is…
 Established more gradually
 Very resistant to extinction
 Example
 Lottery Tickets


Patterns of Partial Reinforcement
Fixed-interval & variable-interval
 Fixed-ratio & variable-ratio

Learning: Operant Conditioning
 Fixed-Interval Schedule
 A schedule of reinforcement
in which the interval of time
that must pass before
reinforcement becomes
possible is always the same

Examples
 Monthly paycheck
 Studying hardest just before the test (assuming that
you know when the test is going to be given)
 “Pre-dentist” teeth cleaning extravaganza
Learning: Operant Conditioning
 Variable-Interval
Schedule

A schedule of
reinforcement in which
the interval of time that
must pass before reinforcement becomes possible is
different for each trial or event

Examples
 Fishing
 Pop quizzes
 Calling a radio station
Learning: Operant Conditioning
 Fixed-Ratio Schedule
 A schedule of reinforcement in which the number of
responses required for reinforcement is always the
same

Examples
 Planet Smoothie Punch Cards
 A salesperson receives a bonus for every 10th gym
membership sold
Learning: Operant Conditioning
 Variable-Ratio
Schedule

A schedule of reinforcement
in which the number of
responses required for
reinforcement is different
for each trial or event

Examples
 Slot machines
 Lottery tickets
Cognitive Factors
Learning: Operant Conditioning
 Edward Tolman (1930)
 Latent Learning


Learning that is not
apparent from behavior
when it first occurs
Tolman’s Maze Experiment

Maze-Running Rats
 Significance?
Learning: Operant Conditioning
 Martin Seligman (1967)
 Learned Helplessness


The tendency to fail to act to
escape from a situation because
of a history of repeated failures
in the past
Seligman’s Dog Experiment

Depressed Dogs
 Significance?
Learning: Operant Conditioning
 Wolfgang Köhler (1925)
 Insight Learning


The sudden perception of
relationships among various
parts of a problem, allowing
the solution to the problem to
come quickly
Köhler’s Chimpanzee
Experiment

Smart Chimps
 Significance?